aka Monkey

Not really. The FCC has put limitations on the unit such that 1) It can only transmit its location every 30 seconds and 2) It can't do it automatically. Although they recently added the ability to "query" another Rino to find out its location, but you can't do it through a PC as it needs to be able to transmit.

Even the Sawyer Extractor is considered by many experts to be a waste of time. The problem with the Sawyer Extractor is that it needs to be done within a few minutes, and must continue for 30-60 minutes, which is difficult to do when you're trying to get out and get help. It's also only effective for pit vipers, due to their type of venom. Here's some general knoweldge for those worried about snakes: * Most snakes aren't poisonous, and would much rather escape than bite. * In about 40% of cases, a rattlesnake bite doesn't result in any significant quantity of venom being injected. * For all of the poisonous snakes in the US, a healthy adult is unlikely to die from even a serious bite unless they have an allergic reaction. You might WISH you were dead though. Children and seniors need to be very cautious, though (regarding above, when turning over rocks or logs, always lift the side facing away from you). * If in snakebite country, learn to identify snakes found in your area or carry a guidebook–if you're bitten, they can't give antivenom unless they know exactly what type of snake bit you (knowing it's a rattler isn't enough). * If you do get bitten, don't monkey around with snakebite kits, tourniquets, ice, liquor, or whatever. Carefully (and as calmly as possible) get help as quickly as possible. And whatever you do, don't try and kill the snake. You're more likely to just get bitten again (and the snake certainly shouldn't be punished for your carelessness).

How about the new Honda Element? Honda Element

I just set up my first subscriber cache. It's a themed cache which contains outdoor gear (survival whistles and the like), and I feel it's more likely to stay viable if I keep out the "riffraff." It also encourages people to become subscribers, and support this great site. Love the idea about blocking the "cache police" though.

In the spirit of "civil disobedience" one could starts setting virtual caches all over OSMP and encouraging tons of visitors. There's not a thing they can do about those but get upset. It won't accomplish anything productive, but if they want a war, by golly, they'll get one. As a member pointed out in another thread, you could also become a paid member and make the caches subscriber only, just to make OSMP pay to see which are on OSMP and which aren't.

How would one go about finding "old" benchmarks? Let's say I'd like to try and rediscover some benchmarks in my area that haven't been logged in a long time. Is there a way to search their database for benchmarks in Colorado and sort them by find date?

You're right, how long the path would stick around would certainly depend on the environment. I have mixed feelings on the boardwalk, though. I'm of the type that goes outdoors to avoid seeing any indication of humanity, which is difficult to do when following a pre-defined path. The parks service means well, but they can be pretty obtuse when it comes to thinking about how to do things (our local Parks and Open Space recently announced that their job was, basically, to make the parks as convenient as possible for the thousands of visitors they don't want every year). I think if they could have their way, the parks service would set aside huge tracts of land which we could look at, but never enter. Your mention of flooding gave me an idea for a cache. In an area that gets frequent heavy flooding, hide a cache high up in a tree so it can be accessed when the flood waters rise high enough to reach it by boat.

quote:Originally posted by BloenCustoms:Furthermore, I'm not qualified to recognize endangered species. If I wish to find an existing cache, should I find out if it is in an area where there are endangered species before I go? Should cache approvers research that aspect before approval? Should caches in high impact areas be archived? Is it fair that less concerned cachers can log a cache in a sensitive area, while environmentally concerned cachers can't? You won't need to worry about endangered species when looking for a cache if the person who placed it checked. It should be easy, as the park service loves to put up signs warning of area closures for just such reasons. Mind you, I don't think this should be a requirement, any more than it should be required for the cache approvers to check whether caches are on private land. It's a suggestion. As for whether it's fair, of course it's not fair. Is it fair that bank robbers can get rich, but I can't? If you don't care about anyone but yourself, by all means pave a highway through old growth forest and nail your cache to a spotted owl. I'm not telling anyone to do anything. I simply wanted to remind people that their actions, no matter how careful, always have an impact. Both good and bad. I'm not making rules here, just suggestions. And, I might note, I never suggested anyone needs to have less of an impact than indigenous species. You might want to re-read my post.

[ignoring gun issue] The debate between Geocachers and "environmentalists" will never end. Why? Because both sides are right, and both sides are wrong. Like any other issue, the issue of whether geocaching is harmful to the environment is not black or white, it's a nice hearty shade of gray. Geocaching, by its very nature, urges people to trek into the great outdoors. Any person who trods the earth leaves a mark. It only takes a few people to walk in a single file line to create a trail that will be visible to the human eye for years to come (satellites have now been used to find caravan routes in the middle east that were traversed by nomads with camels hundreds, if not thousands of years ago). So, from an environmental standpoint, if you go outdoors you'll leave a trace, regardless of how careful you are. Even if you stay on a path you simply ensure that the path will become more permanent. So then the question becomes: So what? Yes, vegetation will have difficulty growing on a path, and may take years to recover, but eventually it will disappear, and so long as one doesn't trek into an area filled with endangered species, the damage will not be permanent, and will generally involve little more than an unsightly bare patch of dirt. So, in most cases, the "tremendous impact" generated by cachers will amount to little more than an area which some people will consider unsightly. The damage which is caused is rarely more than a change in the appearance of the landscape, and as any geologist will tell you, this is nature, only faster. Does that mean we should all run willy-nilly into the woods, digging holes for caches? Only if you don't care how the environment looks, in which case you can plant your cache in the restroom at your local Starbucks. It does mean, however, that we should try and strike a balance between enjoyment and responsibility (a bummer, I know). But what if you decide to geocache in your local park? That's hardy lawn grass, it won't show any impact of your being there, right? Well, not directly. But of course, that grass will need more fertilization, and manufacturing fertilizers creates some truly toxic chemicals, which, once again, will damage the environment for years. And the park maintenance crew will show up with all their lawn equipment, which will produce noise (sound pollution) and a lot of nasty exhaust, not to mention burning oil, which is a limited resource. So have you really averted causing damage? If anything, by using the park you may have had even more of an impact on the environment. And the more you use the park, the more likely the park service is to try and minimize your impact by paving trails and planting educational signs all over the place ("Look Martha, a sign saying to stay on the trail. How beautiful and natural"). So, in the end, geocaching is damaging the environment. There's no way around it. But, as responsible people, we can do our part to help alleviate some of that damage by doing the following: * Cache in, trash out. The one thing you can do that will actually help the environment look better the more you tramp around in it. * Hide caches well, to discourage people from distributing their contents far and wide. * Move all caches after 50 visits. Move them far enough to discourage using the path that was used before (yes, you'll cause a new path, but at least your great-great-grandchildren won't be seeing it from space). * Be aware of the area where your cache is being planted. If endangered or protected species are in the area, plant it elsewhere. * Keep a supply of trash bags in your cache to encourage others to pack trash out. - Indiana Cojones

I agree with Justin (sort of). I think at the moment the tremendous amoutn of caches in certain areas is probably due to the novelty of geocaching. It's quite a new sport, and like anything new people are attracted to it that otherwise might not be. Give it a few years, things will taper off, and the situation will even out a bit. Assuming of course that all the park services don't ban together before than abd ban it.

Trading "copies" of the software would make you both thieves. I thought Geocachers were a higher class of people than that. Or maybe I misunderstood?

If you ever go cac hing with friends or family you might consider ponying up a bit more cash and getting the RIno 120. All the same functionality as the Legend, plus a walkie-talkie (and the nifty ability to see the location of other Rino users!). I just bought one recently, after having used a Legend for a couple years.

Have any Rino users here come across other Rino users unexpectedly while out caching? It'd be neat to see someone appear on the map!

You might look into the MetroGuide CD as well. It's the same price as Roads & Rec, but it contains a LOT more road data (and more accurate as well). Then you could always use MapCard for the topo maps.

I live in Louisville and am looking for other cachers in the Boulder area to go caching with. Anyone interested?

How many meetings has C.A.C.H.E. had so far? How many people usually attend?

I don't think advertising is going to help here. But kids asking you about picking up trash is a good sign. I'd carry a few extra trash bags with you, and offer them to someone next time they ask. My guess is they'd be willing to help. Here in Colorado, the majority of trash cans are Budweiser (followed distantly by Coors).

Is it posible to search for caches in my area and sort them by difficulty? I'd love to try a cache eith a rating of 4 or 5, but it takes sooo long to sort through all of them.